Spring-board.



E. F. CARPENTIER.

SPRING BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED MAH. s1. 1915.

1,15@,W3 Patented oet. 26, 1915.

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l FM WIIF@ PATENT MFFIWE.

SPRING-BOARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ct. 26, 1911.5.

Application filed. March 31, 1915. Serial No. 18,360.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ERNEST F. @narnia- Tinn, acitizen of the United States, residing at Garden Valley, in the countyof Boise and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Spring-Boards, of which the following is aspecification.

The present inventign relates to an improved spring board or platformsupport for use in felling trees, and has for its object to provide adevice of this character which embodies novel features of constructionwhereby ,it can be very quickly applied to any tree without thenecessity of notching the same in the usual manner, and will provide amost satisfactory platform support for workmen engaged in felling thetree.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a device of thischaracter which'is comparatively simple and inexpensive in itsconstruction, which can beI readily moved from place to place andquickly applied to any tree, regardless of the size thereof or thenature of the surrounding country, which is quicker and moresatisfactory than the old method of notching the trees, and whichcomprises few and durable parts suoli as are not liable to get out ofrepair.

YWith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnovel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fullyappear as the description proceeds, the novel features thereof beingpointed out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to thefollowing description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is aside elevation of a pair of spring board devices constructed inaccordance with the invention, showing the same as applied to a tree.Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through one of the spring boarddevices. Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the devices with the boardremoved, portions of the head being broken away and shown in section.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

In actual practice a pair of the spring board devices are used inconnection with each other and applied to opposite sides of the treetrunk, as indicated by Fig. l, although the construction of each of thespring board devices is identical so that a detail description of one ofthem will answer for both.

The numeral l designates the hea-d of the device, said head beingpreferably formed of metal and being provided with a rearwardly openingrecess 2 adapted to receive the end of a board 3 or similar member.Projecting from the front of the head l is a pair of sharp prongs 4iwhich are adapted to be driven into the sides of the tree trunk at thedesired elevation so as to provide a support for the head without thenecessity of notching the tree trunk.

Projecting rearwardly from the bottom of the head l is a loopedsupporting frame 5 which is positioned under the board 3 and can beconveniently formed by suitably bending a bar or rodV of iron or likematerial into proper shape. The arms of the looped supporting frame 5may be connected to the head l in any suitable manner, although in thepresent instance they are shown, for the purpose of illustration, asinserted through suitable openings in the head and returned or doubledupon themselves at G so as to grip portions of the head and provide arigid connection therewith.

Toward the outer end of the looped supporting frame 5 the arms thereofare connected by a cross bar 7, said cross bar having the end portionsthereof coiled around or otherwise rigidly secured to the sides of theframe 5, as indicated at 8, and terminating in eyes 9 which projectlaterally from opposite sides of the supporting frame and are engaged byflexible suspending chains or cables l0. These chains 10 are adapted toextend around the tree trunk at a point above the head and to beconnected to each other, as indicated by Fig. l, so as to cooperate withthe prongs 4 of the head to support the spring board in a substantiallyhorizontal position. One of the suspending chains 10 may be provided atits free end with a hook 11 adapted to engage any selected one of thelinks of the other suspending chain so that the two chains can be veryquickly drawn around the tree trunk and connected to each other in sucha manner as to support the outer end of the frame 5 land hold the devicein proper position. The outer end of the looped supporting frame 5 isalso provided with a second cross bar 12 which is parallel to thepreviouslydescribed cross bar 7 and preferably spaced therefrom. The endpor` tions of the second cross bar l2 are coiled around 0r otherwiserigidly secured to the side bars of the frame 5, as indicated at 13, Y

and are then extended upwardly to provide the positioning fingers 14:which are ar: ranged upon opposite sides of the board 8 and serve tohold the same in proper position upon the supporting frame 5 and toprevent lateral displacement thereof.- The board projects outwardlybeyond the end of the looped supporting frame 5 so as to provide aconvenient and suitable support for a workman engaged in felling thetree, the inner end of the board being securely positioned within'therecess 2 of the head so that the board has a slight spring action.

In actual use two of the spring board devices are .provided and appliedto opposite sides of the tree trunk, as indicated by F ig. 1. The twospring board devices are arranged at the same elevationV and are appliedto the tree trunk in the identical manner, although they project uponopposite sides thereof so as to provide supports for two workmen engagedin felling the tree.

lllhere a cross cut saw is used, one of the workmen can grasp the handleat each end Y .0f the saw and the saw can be moved back and forth in thenecessary manner s0 that .the tree can be felled in a comparativelyshort period of time and with a minimum amount of exertion. After onetree has been felled the spring board device can be immediately removedtherefrom and quickly applied to another tree. This device may beapplied to a tree by an inexperienced workman in from three to fiveminutes, whereas f with the old method of notchmg a tree it l. A springboard device of the character described, including a head formed with arearwardly opening recess, prongs projecting from the front of the headand adapted to be driven into a tree trunk, a U-shaped supporting frameprojecting rearwardly from the head and rigid therewith, a board restingloosely upon the U-shaped supporting frame and having the end thereofreceived withinthe recess of the head, a cross bar connecting oppositesides of the U- shaped supporting frame, the ends of the cross bar beingcoiled around the side bars of the frame and terminating in eyes, andflexible suspending` cables connected to the said eyes and adapted to bewrapped around the tree trunk at a point above the head.

2. A spring board device of the character described, including a headformed with a rearwardly opening recess, prongs projecting` from thefront of the head and adapted to be driven into a tree trunk, a U-shapcdsupporting frame projecting rearwardly from the head and rigidtherewith, a board resting loosely upon the said supporting frame andhaving its forward end received within the recess of the head, a crossbar connecting opposite sides of the looped supporting frame, the endsthereof being coiled around the side bars of the frame and theextremities being extended upwardly to provide positioning lingers whichengage opposite sides of the board, a second cross bar having` a spacedand parallel relation to the first cross bar, the ends of the secondcross bar being also coiled around the sides of the U-shaped frame andterminating in laterally projecting eyes, and liexible suspending cablesconnected to the said eyes and adapted to be wrapped around the treetrunk at a point above the head.

3. A spring board device of the character described, including a headformed with a rearwardly extending recess, prongs projecting from thefront of the head and adapted to be driven into a tree trunk, a U-shapcdsupporting frame projecting rearwardly from the head and rigidtherewith, a board resting loosely upon the said supporting frame andhaving` thc forward end thereof received loosely within the recess ofthe head, and a pair of cross bars connecting the sides of the U-shapedsupporting frame, the extremities of one of the cross bars beingextended upwardly to provide positioning fingers which engage theopposite sides of the board to hold the same against lateraldisplacement, while the extremities of the opposite cross bar terminatein laterally projecting eyes, and flexible supporting cables connectedto the eyes and adapted to be wrapped around the tree trunk at a pointabove the head.

In testimony whereof I alix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST F. CARPENTIER.

lllitnesses FRANCIS J. CAs'rLn, Josnrrr A. JEAUNOT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Yateiits. Washington, D. C.

